


Bruises At Night, Pancakes In The Morning

by writingcreature



Series: The-Aftermath-Series [12]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Additional Scene, Banter, Canon Divergence, Danny takes care of Steve wounds, Developing Relationship, Episode Coda for 9x15, Episode fix it, Fix It, Hurt Steve McGarrett, M/M, McDanno forever, Pancakes, Talking, mcdanno
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 18:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17872319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingcreature/pseuds/writingcreature
Summary: In my version of 9x15 Danny is with the team while Rachel and Charlie stay in his house overnight. Timeframe: the night after "El Diablo" is finally put behind bars. Danny takes care of Steve who's dealing with the aftermath of the brutal fight in the office which doesn't keep him from asking his friend about the current status of his relationship with Rachel...Steve’s eyes were closed, and his long lashes bore some distraction for Danny but only for a heartbeat. He gently shook him. “Hey, Steve. You okay? You sure you don’t want me to drive you to the hospital?”





	Bruises At Night, Pancakes In The Morning

Steve woke to the smell of pancakes in his house, and it took him a while to put the pieces of last night together.

\------

After he and Danny had made sure that “El Diablo” was put behind bars finally, Danny had insisted on taking him home and staying overnight as Steve didn’t look so good after this guy had beaten the crap out of him. 

“But shouldn’t you be with Rachel and Charlie?” Steve asked. 

“They are at my house, and they are safe. I somehow managed to get a message through to her and told her that I’m not coming home. She’s going to leave the keys in the mailbox when they leave tomorrow,” Danny explained before going to the bathroom to fetch the first aid kit. 

“Weren’t you supposed...” Steve yelled after him but stopped midsentence as his head started pounding like crazy and nausea washed over him. 

“Weren’t I supposed to what?” Danny asked when he returned from the bathroom with the kit in one hand and a wet washcloth in the other. 

It took him just one glance to see that his partner wasn’t doing well. Immediately, he dropped next to him on the couch. 

Steve’s eyes were closed, and his long lashes bore some distraction for Danny but only for a heartbeat. He gently shook him. “Hey, Steve. You okay? You sure you don’t want me to drive you to the hospital?” 

Steve answered with a grunt that was supposed to mean, “Thanks, but no thanks.” 

“Okay, then,” Danny sighed and started to take care of the nasty scratches and bruises scattered all over Steve’s body. 

“Ouch,” Steve gritted out, as Danny went about pulling off Steve’s bloodied shirt. “You’re sure you don’t want to be with Rachel?” he mumbled, voice muffled, while his head was stuck in his shirt. 

“That’s one nasty bruise on your side. Looks like one or two ribs might be broken.” Danny said and dropped the shirt to the floor. 

“You don’t wanna talk about it?” Steve insisted. 

Danny held up his hands defensively, the washcloth still in his right hand. 

“Listen, babe. I’m not quite in the mood to discuss Rachel or the current events. But it seems you won’t stop interrogating me. Given the fact that someone beat the crap out of you not long ago, you can be a pretty big pain in the ass.” Danny put the washcloth on the coffee table and dropped his gaze to the floor. 

Steve opened one eye and glanced sideways at Danny. "Hey, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I just thought…" 

"No Steve, I'm fine," Danny assured him. He rubbed his palms on his jeans as he looked for words. 

"See, Rachel and I had our time. We went through all the stages of a relationship until we decided that it would be better to go separate ways for Gracie and us. Of course, we tried to make it work for some time but… I don't need to tell you about all the things she put me through because you witnessed all of it, and I'm sorry about that." 

Steve put his hand over Danny's, "Hey, don't be. That's what friends are for." 

Danny nodded, "I know, but some things shouldn't be taken for granted. That's something I wanted to tell you for a long time." He moved his hand so that it covered Steve’s and squeezed briefly before he pulled back and kept on talking. 

"You know that I followed Rachel and Gracie to Hawaii because first and foremost I wanted to protect Gracie. I was so convinced that I could do that and then the accident happened and my super-dad-world shattered into pieces." Danny's voice broke, and tears stung his eyes. 

"Buddy, it wasn't your fault," Steve said and sat up although the room started spinning and another wave of nausea washed over him. No doubt he'd suffered a concussion. But he held it together. He had to be strong now for Danny, and he had started this conversation in the first place. Steve put his hand on Danny's upper thigh. "There are things in life we can't control. Accidents are one of them. And we got the bastard who hurt her. You hear me? That accident doesn't mean that you're not a great dad. And then there's Charlie. He adores you, Danny. The kids live with Rachel, but you're still a huge part of their lives. Stop doubting yourself." 

Danny lifted his head to meet Steve's eyes and gave him a lopsided grin in return. 

"You know that there’re only the two of us around and no judge you have to convince about my daddy qualities. However, thank you for your fiery speech. I just felt so helpless while Rachel and I were at the hospital and Gracie's life was hanging by a thread. I guess it’s the worst nightmare that could happen to parents. No doubt, during that time Rachel and I got closer, emotionally. And we clung to each other like we haven't before in a long time. The quarrels we had in the past lost their meaning, and everything that counted was the wellbeing of our little girl." Danny paused and got up from the couch. On his way to the kitchen, he asked Steve, "You want a glass of water?" 

"Yes, please," Steve replied. He'd prefer a bottle of beer, but not in his current condition. 

After Danny sat down again next to Steve and passed him the water, he took a big gulp from the glass. His throat felt like sandpaper. He cleared it a few times as his voice didn't obey him right away. 

"Where was I?" Danny said, more to himself. "Ah, yes, we got closer. And I’d be lying if I said that I didn't feel a spark between us. I’d also be lying if I said that I hoped that this spark would reignite something more between us. As soon as Gracie was out of the hospital, I realized that the gap between us was still too wide. I can't forget that she withheld Charlie from me for three years, and God only knows if I would've ever learned about being his dad if he hadn't needed the bone marrow transplant. Rachel and I have a troubled, complicated past. Yes, Gracie's accident might've shifted our points of view and a lot of the bitterness I had in me is gone, but not completely. And I know that she might be open for more, now that she’s divorced Stan and is single again." Danny's voice trailed off. 

"And… did you talk to her? I mean have the two of you had a heart-to-heart talk since Gracie got out of the hospital?" Steve wanted to know. 

Danny shook his head, "Not yet. And maybe that's the reason I avoided staying at my house with her and Charlie tonight. I don't know. However, it's inevitable, rather sooner than later. And now let's take care of you." 

Steve couldn't get rid of the feeling that Danny had been telling him the truth about Rachel, but there was something he was still hiding from him. Steve couldn't put the finger on it. It was just the way Danny was treating him. The way he was caring about him, the way he looked at him. Deep down Steve felt that the bond between them had become more than just friendship. Over the years it had turned into something special. Only tonight was probably not the right time to figure out the current state of their relationship as Steve felt like one big punching bag and Danny still struggled with Rachel, who apparently read more into his behavior and expected a lot more from him than he was able to give her. 

Not long after Danny had dressed Steve wounds and helped him to put on a clean t-shirt, Steve dropped out on the couch and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

Danny took a brief shower but was too lazy to go upstairs to the bedroom. He fetched a tee and boxer shorts from the drawer where he'd put his stuff for times like these. Wrapped in a blanket, Danny settled in the wing chair next to Steve. He watched the steady rain beat against the window. Listening to the sound made him drowsy. He yawned. Only now, he realized how tired he really was.

\----

Steve sat up slowly. Danny had left a glass of water and two Advil on the coffee table. Thankfully, Steve took the pills and washed them down with a big gulp. Right on cue, Danny peeked around the kitchen corner and welcomed him with a warm smile. "Back from the dead?" he quipped. 

Steve ran the back of his hand over his mouth and replied, "More or less. I have to admit that the smell of pancakes makes my stomach growl like a bear and could indeed raise someone from the dead." 

Danny frowned, "Pancakes? You smell pancakes? I'm sorry, but you must be hallucinating." 

"Hallucinating? Really?" Steve gave him a goofy grin, "Then I'm hallucinating them with bananas and some chocolate chips." 

Danny rolled his eyes while biting back laughter, "For that, I'm going to charge extra. Usually, I would have just buttered your pancakes, you animal." 

They exchanged a knowing look before they broke out in laughter.

 

_**The End** _

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my dear friend Melissa, who had my back for this one. You rock!


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